Syracuse, N.Y. -- The next step in rethinking Interstate 81's pathway in Onondaga County comes May 21, when state and local transportation officials will hold an open house to update the public on the massive project.

This will be the third public meeting of this sort, where state Department of Transportation officials and members of the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council will show studies and take comments on what you think should happen to the elevated highway running through Syracuse and its suburbs.

No decision has been made on what the state will do with this stretch of I-81, whose useful life ends in 2017. But the state is soliciting more solid answers from engineers on two main options: tear down the viaduct and reroute traffic around the city, or replace the existing elevated road with a structure that doesn't feel as if it cuts Syracuse in two pieces.

The meeting May 21 is from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Oncenter. Parking will be validated. New information will include more detailed conceptual drawings of different strategies, more specific traffic analysis and cost projections for various options.

So far, the state has considered five main options: leave it alone, fix it, rebuild it the way it is, bury it in a tunnel or depressed highway, or create a boulevard running the city. Going forward, the state will narrow those options to the ones most feasible and affordable. Then, the project must withstand federal and state environmental reviews before construction could begin.

Until then, take the chance to review what's happened so far. The I-81 Challenge website is a great tool, detailing all publicly released information to date. I've highlighted some key links below.

A quick Q&A from the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council about the project.

See what happened at the 2012 open house, the most recent one. Note that people already shared these thoughts: the fear that a broad avenue could turn into a larger version of Erie Boulevard; anticipation that tearing down the viaduct would help revitalize parts of downtown; changes could hamper quick commutes in and out of the city; the tunnel option is far too expensive.